谈谈挑选纽约附近最适合建立家庭的地区

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宝宝快出生了， 考虑在不久将来买学区房。 什么Newport, Hoboken就不能考虑了。 最近瞅房子望区望上了瘾，我基本上是一个邮政编码一个邮政编码点过去的， 而且搜索了City-Data的每个论坛，瞅了有关这些地区的所有数据，讨论帖还有纽约时报的相关文章， 当然也有Google Map上面一条一条街的Street View兼实地考察。



我和妻子都不是很能修修补补型的，而且budget但愿能限制在50万之内（我想给我们留下足够周旋余地， 不但愿因为买了房子被困住， 不敢冒险换工作投资Vacation等等）， 所以比较倾向与Coop和Condo。 这些地区的House我们目前是买不起的， 但是为了下一代， 学区比房子面积重要， 起码我是这么认为的。



抛砖引玉想听听大家意见。 下面是我个人要求：



1）一个小时以内能到曼哈顿中城和华尔街的（门口到门口）。



毕竟将来很有可能是两个人一起工作， 而且工作地点不可能数十年如一日。 50－60分钟的火车巴士到曼哈顿实际上是75－90分钟的门口到门口。 所以超过35分钟火车巴士的我基本上不考虑。 Google Map有个Public Transportation Direction， 和实战比较觉得相称准确， 平均误差不会超过5－10分钟。 单程一小时VS一个半小时就是一个月20＋小时的区别，两个人就是40小时了， 其实差别很大的。 和家人在一起的时间长短常宝贵的。



一直很喜欢Fort Lee（价钱不贵， 房子比较新）但是巴士其实太不不乱了，特别是rush hour. 还有就是感觉这个地方越来越像韩国城（一半的商店都是韩文）所以从地区表里删除了。



2）挑选优质学区



纽约市里好的小学不少， 好的初中就比较少了， 好的高中必需靠考， 就连Bayside和Forest Hills这样的高中也良多黑人西班牙人， 大大影响了成绩。



小学评分： http://www.greatschools.net/

学区评分： http://www.schooldigger.com/go/NY/districtrank.aspx

纽约SAT分数： http://php.democratandchronicle.com/RocDocs/sat/

新泽西SAT分数： http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/02/06/nyregion/new-jersey/20082026_nj_school_map.html



Great Schools7分是我能忍受的最低分数， 只能说及格。 其实还有一个简朴的来决定学校和整个地区质量的办法， 那就是学生人口里黑人＋西班牙人的比例。 黑人加西班牙人超过15－20％我是不考虑的， 高尚区他们的人口比例都是低于10％的。



当然学区房枢纽还是看高中， 孩子不用考试就能入入优秀高中吸引力仍是很大的。 比较高中我觉得仍是比较平均SAT分数比较实际， 这个考试含金量比较高， 那些闻名高中的平均SAT分数都是高的吓人。



目前瞅中的三个区:



纽约市：Forest Hills 11375



地铁交通非常利便，20分钟到中城。 小学9分初中8分， 离法拉盛又近。



缺点是高中很烂，小孩不能考上重点就得考虑送私立，而且这个区已经开始被西班牙人渗入渗出了， 我有点担心它的未来。



长岛： Great Neck 11021



虽然地税比附近的Bayside和Little Neck高良多， 但因为是Nassau所以没有City

Income Tax其实抵消了。 Rush hour的快车可以25分钟到Penn Station, 就算没有快车也是35分钟。



完美的学校（Great Neck South高中的平均SAT是1190， 比Bayside高了150分）。 离法拉盛20-30分钟也是很有吸引力的。



缺点是房子比较旧。



威郡： Scarsdale 10583



很但愿能说服妻子搬去这里， 学校比Great Neck又更上一层楼， 可以说是纽约新泽西八百里内最高SAT分数了（1256）, 如果不算重点高中的话。 Rush Hour 30分钟内到曼哈顿42街， 没有快车也最多35－40分钟， 房子虽然和Great Neck一样旧但是有一种Great Neck没有的美感。 虽然我们的收入搬到这里立刻变成穷人， 但是我觉得这样的地方才能给人斗志。



附近的Edgemont（开车10分钟）有一个中国超市， 不遥的White Plains（一站火车）也有一个中国大超市， 不外要去法拉盛好像要付不少过路费而且开车得40－45分钟。 当然房子仍是比较旧。



其实妻子很喜欢新一些的房的， 不外在纽约附近太难了。 80后的房子就算新居了， 要考虑50万以下， 一小时内到曼哈顿中城下城， 优质学区， 难， 难， 难。 大家对这个问题是怎么望的？



Responses:



Bensonhurst/Bay Ridge: No reason to choose them over Forest Hills unless you must have a brand new condo, commute is quite a bit worse and neighborhood is not nearly as good. Elementary school is only decent and middle/high schools are terrible.



Forest Hills High School: Only 950 SAT, 4 of 10 on greatschools, too many hispanics/blacks from outside of 11375. NYC high schools other than ones that require SSAT are all terrible because of affirmative action crap.



Private Schools: I think Scarsdale/Great Neck public schools would beat any private school under 15K a year. There is no transparency whatsoever and private schools don't even have to release test scores. Francis Lewis, the private school at 12K a year (that also started swine flu) is only a little over 1000 in SAT score.



Riverdale (& Fort Lee via George Washington Bridge): I don't want either me or my wife to travel through Harlem everyday on the subway. Especially consider I do work late hours every now and then. School is really poor once you go past elementary. Riverdale is really really overrated.



500K Budget: It is actually enough money to get 2BR/2BA apartment in every area I listed. And unless you are buying a condo/house in New York City, areas without too many hispanic/blacks all have similar taxes.



Taxes: Hoboken/Jersey City/Fort Lee taxes are almost just as bad as Scarsdale/Great Neck unless you are talking about high end houses, is there really a big difference between 7-8K a year and 10-12K? Coop is a big advantage as a 2/2 coop in Forest Hills has exact same maintenance as Scarsdale/Great Neck, and cost the same too. City income tax will pay for $200 a month train pass, your other expenses are the same. Coop is an amazing way to live in a very prestigious neighborhood that you can't otherwise afford, and still offers you most of the advantages of owning a home (appreciation, tax breaks, etc).



On "Too Early": It is never too early to separate your kid away from hispanics/blacks and even fresh off the boat Chinese immigrants on 8th Avenue Brooklyn. Yes I was one of them not long ago, but that is exactly why I want my child to start on a better note.



Apartment Vs House: I know a single Chinese mother with two children who rented a small apartment in Scarsdale just so she could get her children there, she worked hard and today one is in Harvard the other is in Yale. There are many stories like that. Ever heard of "the mother of Meng who moved three times?" Pre-K starts in only a few years,加拿大华人, by the time I actually buy something it will be very close. I really don't need 2000 sqft to raise a family, 1200-1300 is enough for a family of 4 if the community itself is good and the apartment itself has a great layout (convertible dining room with window). People in Hong Kong have to raise children in apartments, it is not a deal breaker if you have great surroundings.



Priorities: Everyone's situation and priority are different, for me I never attended a super elite school, so I want my children to get that from the get go. Bill Gates, Obama, Bloomberg all went to Harvard, elite school doesn't guarantee success, but it helps a lot. No I will not consider my child a failure if she doesn't make it, as there are indeed many different paths to success. However, as a parent, when I die I want to say I did everything I could to provide her the best chance for success, and top schools is the easiest thing to do. We are not a big fan of houses to begin with (unless you are talking about one of those mansion style homes with built-in maid to care for everything, who knows maybe we can get there someday).



Thanks for the comments! Different opinions really help!



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